'NYC Prep' Review

NYC Prep is a reality show which first aired on Bravo in June 2009. It purports to follow the daily comings and goings of 6 New York teenagers. 5 of the 6 attend private schools in Manhattan and have more money than God.

NYC Prep picks up where Gossip Girls left off. Both shows claim to offer a peek into the lives of the rich, privileged caste whose children attend Manhattan's finest, most expensive private high schools. Fortunately for the schools these teenagers attend, we are never really sure which schools they actually are. (I am sure that several heads of school are grateful for that.) Of course, the evidence circumstantial and otherwise points to certain institutions clustered on the Upper East Side.

I have this 'love, hate' thing with reality TV. I have watched American Idol and The Bachelor. Top Chef: Masters is a current addiction of mine. So I approach a show like NYC Prep from that conflicted point of view.

The plot of NYC Prep? I am not sure that there really is one. The show lurches from one scene full of self-conscious teenagers to the next. What can I say? The only time teens are funny is on sitcoms. But reality shows are not so tightly scripted as sitcoms. As a result the cast is revealed for what it is: a bunch of rather ordinary young people struggling to grow up far too quickly.

I love the photography. The street shots and restaurant scenes are fabulous. Manhattan makes such a magnificent backdrop for showcasing the trappings of wealth, doesn't it? All those upscale shops and neighborhood restaurants which the truly rich frequent are great fun to see.

Back to the plot? Have you ever read New York Social Diary? NYC Prep is the teenage version of NYSD. Both share pictures of average people wearing designer clothes, smiling through clenched teeth and trying to look rich and fabulous. In their world I suppose that's what life is all about.

For me NYC Prep suffers the fate of many reality shows. When the characters on a reality show lack depth and substance, the show becomes awkward to watch. NYC Prep made me squirm several times as I listened to some of the shallow statements and remarks these kids make. What kind of parents do these children have? Where are their parents? Why don't they set better examples? Why can't they spend more quality time with their kids?

I was appalled at the couple who left their son and daughter to live alone in sumptuous Manhattan townhouse while they repaired to their Southampton mansion, save for weekly visits to the city. Why bother having kids if you are just going to let them wander around like so many well-heeled stray dogs with Platinum Amex cards?

NYC Prep does subtly underscore a basic difference between day schools and boarding schools. It is very difficult to control a child 24/7 when she attends day school. There's too much non-school time, most of which is probably not properly supervised. On the other hand, when you attend boarding schools like The Hotchkiss School or Kent School, you have professional adults keeping tabs on your child 24/7. The morals and values of the school community become a huge, hopefully positive influence in your child's life. Your life is infinitely more structured and controlled. And without the ubiquitous Blackberries too.

NYC Prep airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. eastern.